The concept of supporting signs of various types using flexible means to permit the sign to tip is well known. For example, Henne, U.S. Pat. No. 2,292,785, discloses a flexible line marker sign for use in sports in which springs are provided to permit the sign or marker to be bent over. Beck, U.S. Pat. No. 1,532,865, discloses an automobile roadway sign mounted adjacent the roadway which includes springs holding the sign upright but which permit the sign to be run over and forced down parallel to the roadway. Bottcher, Denmark Pat. No. 97,389, discloses a highway sign in which the base is fixed into the ground or otherwise fixed adjacent the highway and which includes a pair of springs holding the sign vertical but permitting the sign to tip. Other signs and objects which are supported by springs are disclosed by Trump, U.S. Pat. No. 2,144,033; Franklin, U.S. Pat. No. 726,187; Watts, U.S. Pat. No. 1,487,635; Lynch, U.S. Pat. No. 1,013,410; Birge, U.S. Pat. No. 2,949,324; Donovan, U.S. Pat. No. 2,164,680; DeVries, Netherland Pat. No. 97,398; Vara, U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,903; Watts, U.S. Pat. No. 1,267,021; Arquero Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 660,595; Hood, U.S. Pat. No. 2,165,704; Werner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,769; Sarkisian, U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,482 and Sarkisian, U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,696. Other mechanisms, pivots, for example, for permitting a sign to tilt when acted upon by the wind, the traffic, or otherwise, are also known.
It is conventional, in the prior art, to provide springs adjacent or mounted to the base upon which a sign is supported and permitting to flex. Typical of more recent signs of this type are those disclosed in the Sarkisian and Werner patents cited above. This arrangement is useful but has limitations. For example, this arrangement does not permit the sign to be mounted high above the roadway, floor, or other support surface. Sometimes it is desirable to support a sign high in the air, perhaps six or eight feet high, for better display, to be seen above traffic, to avoid interfering with the flow of traffic, either vehicular or personal traffic, to avoid interference with other signs, displays or structures or for any of a number of other reasons.
It is particularly desirable in connection with portable signs to provide a sign standard which will permit the sign to flex in the wind without tipping the sign over. The desirability of mounting a sign high above the support surface and permitting the sign to flex is not limited, however, to portable signs. Much less rigid and less strong structures may be used to support permanent signs if the sign is permitted to flex in response to the wind, or other moving force, because the force on the standard is less than would be the case if the sign were rigidly mounted on the top of the standard. Thus, the cost of mounting permanent signs may be greatly reduced. In addition, of course, the use of flexible signs is made possible in circumstances where it would not otherwise be possible.
These problems have existed in the prior art and numerous efforts have been made to solve certain of the problems; however, the solution to the elevated sign problem has not heretofore been available. It is, accordingly, one of the features and purposes of the present invention to solve this problem by providing a unique structure and structural relationship between the sign support and the flexible means for supporting the sign.
A brief consideration of the geometry of the conventional approach to providing a flexible support for signs will demonstrate the problem inherent in this approach. If a flexible support is provided on or adjacent the base and an extended post is mounted on the flexible spring or other means on the base, with a sign mounted high on the post, the bending of the post and the sign, in the wind, for example, soon moves the sign outside the support area of the base and, consequently, the base will tip over. In the case of permanent signs, it is undesirable to have the post tilled in most instances because this will interfere with the flow of traffic, interfere with other structures or fall upon other structures, or otherwise become an obstacle. In addition, if the flexible support means must support the weight of the post, as well as of the sign, then severe requirements may be placed upon the design of the spring for supporting the sign and the post. The present invention also encompasses means for adjusting the height of a sign and the supporting flexible means above the surface and improved flexible means for supporting the sign, and means for raising the sign higher without ever changing the size of springs and size and weight of base.